I do silk painting Jacquie. I use Seta Silk dye and it is very easy to use. Just paint it on wait till it dries and iron it with a warm iron and the paint is set. I make banners for the church with silk (actually Bem silk, which is the silky material used for lining in clothes.) The dye I use is water soluable (mix with water to get a softer, more pastel shade). You do have to apply a resist if you are painting a pic or design. A resist is an outline that stops the colour from spreading into sections of your painting where you don't want it. I use a fabric paint, usually gold glitter to outline my design and when that is dry simply paint the sections in the colours you want. When it is dry simply iron to set the dye. There are some great techniques to use with silk , like applying salt to the wet dye and leaving it on till it dries. Or applying two colours and allowing them to blend.
My technique for scarves is to wet the scarfe, then drip different colours all over the scarfe and allow the paints to run and blend then I sprinkle salt over some parts of the scarfe (maybe the ends) and leave it to dry. Then I remove the salt and 'paint' a design with gold glitter fabric paint on a small section and leave that to dry. Then just iron, and hand wash in gentle suds, dry and iron again. Comes out lovely and soft.
I hope you give it a try. You can PM me if you need any further information.
Oh BTW there is a method using textas and alcohol for painting silk too.